In my last article I claimed that the Disney princesses could be seen as good, strong female characters, so, if you didn't believe me, here I am to explain why I believe that, first, with the original three.
1. Snow White
Snow White tends to be the most looked over and made fun of princess. She's called stupid and silly for doing what she does in the film, and that's simply not fair. In her movie, Snow White is 14-years-old. Her step-mother, the Evil Queen, is jealous of her because she is seen as more beautiful. So, she plans to have Snow White, 14-year-old Snow White, killed. This young girl is brought into the woods, and suddenly the huntsman is yelling at her to run away; she doesn't have a clue what is going on so she runs, and becomes terrified in the woods. Once again, this is a 14-year-old girl who has probably never left the palace,and has never been in the woods. Of course she is terrified.
Then she comes across a small cottage, I've heard people say that she was stupid for going to the cottage, but I'd just like to point out again, she was running for her life through the woods, which she was unfamiliar with, at 14. So she enters the cottage, and you know what she does, she sees a mess and she cleans it up, because she's nice.
This is the next major point with Snow White, she basically becomes the dwarfs caretaker, cooking and cleaning for them, just the role for a woman right? No, Snow White offers. She offers to cook and clean for them, because she is good at cooking and cleaning and she needs a place to hide out from her psycho step-mother. She needs a place to stay and wants to provide a service back to the dwarfs for them allowing her stay in their home, so, she provides what she knows to do.
Snow White is kind. She is a princess and running for her life, and she has every right to be ticked off about everything, but she is not; she is kind and sweet and still full of dreams, which does get her into trouble, I'll admit that, but who would have thought an apple would be poisonous?
2. Cinderella
The main thing I can say for Cinderella, is that she wanted to go to the ball, just to go. Cinderella simply wanted to, for one night, dress up in a pretty dress, do her hair nice, put on some make-up and go to a ball. That's all she wanted, for one night to leave her horrible home and have some fun. Yes, she kind of lucked out, the prince seeing her and dancing with her and chasing her, but that still wasn't the reason she went in the first place.
I think it really says something for Cinderella that she still left right when she was supposed to, she could have very well explained to the prince the situation she was in and begged for him to help her, but she didn't. She left when she was told to leave, and went home, happy that the experience had happened. Of course she was thrilled when she learned the prince wanted to marry her, but who wouldn't be?
3. Aurora
Aurora is a bit harder because although the movie is called "Sleeping Beauty," Aurora herself has about a total of 16 lines in the film. The movie mostly focuses on the three fairies and Maleficent with Prince Phillip sprinkled in here and there. The main myth of "Sleeping Beauty" I can correct is when Aurora is crying after she's learned she's a princess.
It is easy to think that Aurora was crying because she's not going to see Prince Phillip ever again, however, I beg to differ. Aurora is crying because her whole life was uprooted. She's just learned she's a princess, and she's been cursed to prick her finger and die, and she's suppose to get married to some stranger. Cut the girl some slack.
Disney princesses are often pushed off and seen as silly and submissive, which is sometimes true, but they aren't just simply running around wanting to get married. They are able to stand on their own.
